And all of that content can be explored with a friend in a remarkably well-put-together co-op mode (which is the exact same story as the single-player campaign, only with a buddy tagging along). The second player takes on the role of military bad dude John Carver, who’s admittedly not a very likeable character, though he does have his own personal demons to wrestle with that manifest themselves as toy soldiers. So he’s at least moderately interesting. He even has his own set of side missions that can only be accessed in co-op game sessions.

And don’t worry about fighting with your friends over ammo; each player’s ammo drops are completely separate. That’s right, even though you are playing together, the ammo that’s available to you will only show up on your screen. Go ahead and pick up everything you see; you’re not going to be yelled at for being a loot hog.

Oh, and even though the sound design is less geared toward building a scary atmosphere, it still has moments of brilliance, like when the sound of your gunfire echoes off icy cliffsides. Trust me, it sounds amazing.

All things considered, Dead Space 3 just isn’t made for those of us craving another horror experience. It’s far less scary and far more shooter-y than the previous games in the series. But for fans of set piece-based action games, Dead Space 3 has a pretty healthy buffet of amazing content. Just don’t spend any money on the microtransactions; EA needs to know that we’re not going to tolerate that sort of crap.

ByJosh Wirtanen
Editor / Social Media
Date: February 5, 2013

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.2

GraphicsTau Volantis is far more interesting because it’s been presented to us through the lens of Dead Space’s unique visual design.

4.0

ControlNo complaints here. Think of this as classic Dead Space, only with a couple modern tweaks.

4.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice ActingThough it’s not as terrifying as previous Dead Space games, there are still moments of utter brilliance.

3.0

Play ValueThough the game is about twice as long as Dead Space 2, and the side missions extend play time even further, there are far too many clichéd moments and personal nitpicks for it to be up to par with its Dead Space brethren.

3.7

Overall Rating - GoodNot an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend

0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid

2.5 - 2.9 = Average

3.5 - 3.9 = Good

4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy

2.0 - 2.4 = Poor

3.0 - 3.4 = Fair

4.0 - 4.4 = Great

5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Team up and take down the terror together - Play the full campaign in online co-op or single player through easy drop-in and drop-out play.

Head planet-side and experience a hostile new environment - Discover underworld cities and accept side missions. Explore the frozen terrain and search abandoned encampments.

Uncover the past and embark on a thrilling expedition to save mankind - Discover the source of the Necromorph terror and fight to fend off the extinction of the human race.